The Crimson Angel
by Wolftamer54
Summary: About a year after the Nighthowler case, things seem to be going amazing for the city's first bunny and fox cops. Now in a relationship, Nick and Judy decide to go on a trip to Bunnyburrow for the annual Carrot Days Festival so that Nick can meet her parents. However, the celebration soon turns horrific as a brutal killer stalks the event. Can they take them down? Who will survive?
1. Vacations and Lacerations

A new day dawns. The sun rises over the city, gleaming off the thousands of windows on the towering skyscrapers, the snow in Tundratown, and the water surrounding the city. In one small apartment in Savannah Central, a rather interesting conversation is underway. "Nick, you are not wearing those awful shirts when you meet my family," said a small grey rabbit doe, a stern look on her face.

"Aw, come on Carrots, I just want to be honest. Nick likes his pawaiian shirts, so Nick is going to wear his pawaiian shirts," responded the red fox todd standing opposite her, as he rifled through his clothes drawer.

Judy huffed, both amused and annoyed by his antics. "Two things slick. One, stop referring to yourself in the third person, and two, if you want to be honest, you are going to look like the responsible police officer that you are, and the kind of mammal that my parents will actually want me to date." This conversation was coming about as a result of the events of the last two years. When she had first met Nick, she had heartily disliked him. His sarcasm, cynical streak, and speciesist comments made him seem like every naysayer who had ever tried to stop her from achieving her dream, told her she couldn't do it. When they worked together to solve the Nighthowler case, she found a new best friend, and subsequently had her heart broken with guilt and loss when she drove him away with her own subconscious bigotry. After being reunited, they became inseparable once again, partners on the force and best friends and roommates in life. However, they soon both realized that they wanted more. Judy had never had a real boyfriend in her life. Every buck thrown her way had wanted her to give up on her dreams and be a housewife. But Nick always helped and supported her, combining their strength. Nick, for his part, had simply never let anyone in. He only had one real friend before Judy, so forget him having a girlfriend. But when the beautiful, idealistic, and driven bunny burst her way into his life, he found his defenses going down. The layers he had built up, trying to keep everyone away and not see when they got to him, she was peeling them away. For months, the two of them had been stuck in a kind of dance, sure of their own feelings, but unsure of the other. The drawn out and unnecessary process was finally ended when Nick had sucked up his courage and told her how he felt. It was with the greatest joy that she returned said feelings, and their current relationship was born. Now, several months later, they were heading to Bunnyburrow for the annual Carrot Days festival. It would be the first time that Nick would meet her parents face to face, so she wanted to make a nice impression. However, Nick being Nick, he continued in their usual antics and playful banter, hence the current argument over attire.

"Touche, Carrots, I will hunt for more boring outfits. Although, in a pinch, I seem to remember that you enjoy my look with nothing on at all." His voice dropped to a low and husky tone on the last sentence.

"Nick!" Judy squealed, embarrassed by his dirty humor. "You can't say things like that! My family probably won't take too kindly to those sort of suggestive comments. I just want them to get used to the idea of us being together, not of us doing _that._ "

This caused Nick to smirk wider still, and he couldn't resist more jibes. "Yes, I'm sure that the scariest thing in the world will be getting chased around by a couple of bunnies with pitchforks and torches."

Judy gave him an incredulous look and said in a playful tone, "Try _three hundred,_ Slick."

Nick's smile dropped instantly into a frown, briefly reminding her of when she had out hustled him, as he stammered "T-th-three hundred?!"

"Mmhmm, and that's just my siblings," she smiled. Nick looked like he was going to faint, and she quickly moved to reassure him. "Hey, Nick it's okay. I'll be by your side the whole time. If you get too overwhelmed, we can leave, okay?" she finished off with a quick kiss to the tip of his nose.

This brought Nick back, and he said "All right Carrots, but I want it to be known that you owe me after this," eliciting a giggle from Judy. She was quickly silenced, however, when Nick bent down to give her a sweet kiss right on the lips.

* * *

Less than an hour later, the pair stood at the Zootopia Central Station, waiting for the train that would take them to Bunnyburrow. Nick, having finally conceded to not wear his usual green pawaiian shirts, was clad in a plain blue shirt that Judy said complemented his fur color and a pair of gray pants. Judy had chosen what Nick called her "country bumpkin" outfit, pink plaid shirt, jeans, and a sunhat. They also carried a suitcase apiece, Nick's a plain black while Judy's was decorated with carrots.

As they stood looking, and in Judy's case listening, for a sign the train was coming, they couldn't help but notice the stares the were getting. You didn't become the first of your species on the police force and solve the biggest case in the history of the city without getting some unwanted attention. Some looked upon them in awe and admiration, some were simply indifferent, and others showed downright loathsome hatred. Since the news of their relationship went public, they had steadily seen more and more of the latter, who would verbally attack them at any chance simply because of who they chose to be with. At this moment in time, one of those such mammals was a white tailed deer buck, who was stalking his way over to them, looking like he wanted to pick a fight. Nick noticed this, and ever the sly one, sized up the buck. His expensive suit and haughty expression suggested a mammal of considerable wealth, maybe a banker or lawyer. Nick anticipated that this would probably make them consider themselves superior, and he circled his tail around Judy in a protective gesture. Judy also saw the buck approach them, and felt Nick's tail snake its way around her, and knew that he was expecting a confrontation. This prediction soon came true, as the buck stopped his march and glared down at them with what could only be considered pure and unrestrained hatred. "Can I help you sir?" Nick asked politely as possible, not wanting to aggravate the situation any.

The deer narrowed his eyes and responded with "Well, you could stop this obscene display of sin and deprivation. You two disgust me and are a disgrace to mammal kind. Not only do you display contempt for keeping yourselves to your species, you have to cross the lines between predator and prey! You should be ashamed of yourselves. If you had any decency, you would jump in front of the next train and spare us your abomination of a relationship." The buck's tone had started off cold, but quickly rose to an angry shout, causing several passerby to stare.

For his part, Nick lost none of his cool, keeping his emotionless mask in place. "Well, sir, can I please have your name?"

The buck was so taken aback by this response that he responded honestly. "J-Jack Cloven."

"Well, Mr. Cloven, I'm afraid I'm going to have to report you for harassment and death threats." Jack's face quickly turned to shock. "Now, we're about to go on a trip, and we don't want to have to postpone it because we had to arrest some mammal who didn't agree with our lifestyle choices and instead told us to jump in front of a train. So, I would suggest that we let you off with a warning, and in the future you just keep your opinions to yourself okay?" Now looking frightened, Jack quickly walked away, wanting to get as far away from the officers as possible. In such a hurry was he, that he didn't notice the eyes staring at him with just as much hatred and anger as he had shown, or the figure who moved through the crowd after him. Slightly shaken from the confrontation, Nick turned back to gaze at Judy, who was also looking up at him.

"That was nicely handled officer," she complimented, giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Thank you officer, I just couldn't stand him trying to ruin our trip."

Judy let out a chuckle and sighed, "Well, that makes two of us." They joined their paws together and stared wistfully off into the distance, seeming perfectly content with the world and like nothing could faze them.

* * *

Meanwhile, a short time later, Jack Cloven had returned to his office. Nick had been correct. He was one of the key lawyers at a prestigious law firm, and due to his intelligence and profession, often considered himself superior to other mammals. Although he had been driven off by Nick, he was now even more furious than before. Him, a proud, white-tail deer lawyer, had been talked down by a fox! He shifted through the papers on his desk, still muttering to himself. "That little prick! Who does he think he is? Being a cop is not a free pass to do whatever the hell you want. Damn sinners, you'll get what's coming to you eventually."

These words had barely left his mouth when all of a sudden, a paw grabbed his head from behind. He barely had time to register surprise when a knife, its blade shining in the dim office, found its way to his neck. The cold steel ripped through fur and flesh, splitting his throat in a grim red smile. As soon as the knife was finished with its work, it was replaced by a glass vial that was held up to the wound and filled up with blood. Once it was full, the killer put a stopper on it, and emerged from the shadows. Now out of hiding, they were revealed to be clothed in a tight black bodysuit and a utility belt. They were also quite tiny. Leaping onto the desk, the assailant stood up to their full height, just two feet but with another foot of ears, looking dwarfed by the desk on which they stood.

They withdrew the vial from a pocket on the belt, took out the stopper, and dipped a single digit into the crimson liquid. Withdrawing their finger again, they set to work. The strange mammal started drawing a symbol on a blank sheet of paper on the desk, making it nearly as big as their whole body. When they were finished, they stood back up, revealing what they had drawn. Shining in the fresh blood was a rendition of a halo wreathed in flames. Seemingly admiring their work, the killer turned back to the corpse and said in an light, unsettling voice, "Sorry I can't stay to chat, but I have a train to catch."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Hello, and welcome to my first ever fanfic. Since this is my first, I understand if the quality could be improved. Please comment and review, constructive criticism is appreciated.


	2. A Fox in the Bunnyburrow

Some time later, Nick and Judy were sitting on the train, the unexpected disturbance from earlier mostly forgotten. The pair of them were looking out the window as the countryside rolled by. They could see the blurred images of barns, silos, and fields of crops flowing by. For Nick, who had never seen such sights before, it was a bit of an experience to see the vastness of the fields, seeming to stretch on forever. For Judy, who had grown up in such a setting, it filled her with nostalgia and only made her more eager to visit her childhood home. Nick suddenly blanched as he caught sight of the "Welcome to Bunnyburrow" sign, with the area's ridiculously large population on display in plastic numbers below the gigantic words. His mouth hung open in shock, and he started having serious second thoughts. Judy, seeing this, decided that he needed a pep talk. "Come on Nick, we've faced savage jaguars, exploding trains, and hit rams. You can survive a town full of bunnies. They won't hurt you."

"Are you absolutely sure they won't burn me at the stake for dating you? And what about your dad, you said he had a fox taser?" Judy rolled her eyes.

"Nick, you are here as my guest. I will personally defend you from any big, bad bunny who tries to make you leave. I made sure as soon as you became my partner that my dad threw that taser out. You have nothing to worry about." She punctuated this by taking his paw in hers to reassure him. Nick smiled, gazing down at her with a look filled with love and affection. Before he could do anything, however, the train came to a stop and the PA system said: "Now arriving at Bunnyburrow station."

As they got out of their seats, Nick caught a brief glimpse of the mob of bunnies waiting for them. He felt a brief flash of fear course through him before he looked down into the violet eyes of the doe beside him, and knew that nothing in the world would stop him from following her anywhere. As the doors dinged open, they barely got out onto the platform before there was a resounding cry of "Judy!" from the assembled army of bunnies. The pair quickly found themselves swarmed by an array of tiny bunny kits, all wanting to see their older sister after she had been gone for so long, and just as many were interested in the fox she had brought with her. Judy disappeared under a pile of rabbits, all wanting cuddles. Nick was more fortunate, for the moment, as the kits' curiosity and wonder kept them from immediately clambering over him. "What's your name?" one little brown doe asked.

"Uh, Nick Wilde."

"Are you big sis Judy's boyfriend?" asked a black buck.

"Yes."

"Are your teeth really sharp?"

"I guess so." As Nick frantically tried to answer all of the questions, he didn't notice some of the more adventurous kits sneaking up behind him. He only became aware of their presence when they leaped on him, wanting to feel his fluffy fur and tail. Within seconds, Nick was covered in the kits as they poked at him.

"His tail is so fluffy!"

"Look at his big paws!"

"His ears are so pointy!"

Nick was about to panic when a stronger, more authoritative voice rang out.

"Kids, get off of them. You're overwhelming the poor fox." As his vision was cleared of rabbits, Nick saw Bonnie Hopps making her way over to them. He had only met her and her husband before on muzzletime, so he had hoped their first face to face meeting would go well. Having her rescue him from death by fluff was _not_ what he had expected. Behind her was Stu, tugging at the straps of his overalls and looking at Nick with open suspicion. Bonnie, however, offered Nick a paw, which he accepted. Now upright again, he listened as she apologized for the kits behavior. "I'm sorry about that. We tried to tell them that foxes aren't as used to cuddles as rabbits, but they don't seem to have taken the warnings too seriously."

"It's okay. I've had much worse than being buried underneath an army of kits. I'm really just glad for your offer to come."

"Oh, no problem at all. Judy talks about you all the time, and we really needed to meet you properly." As she said this, she gestured for Stu to come forward. He did so, although still looking at Nick with wary. However, when Nick offered his paw, Stu gave it a firm shake. Judy saw these interactions, and felt relieved that things were going well so far. Stu had always been very protective, and whenever they called or muzzletimed, would always try to grill Nick with questions, ostensibly to see if he was a good match for his daughter. Bonnie had fortunately been far more accepting, and quickly warmed up to Nick. Now that he wasn't covered in bunnies, Nick could see that those who had come to greet them must actually be only a small portion of the family, as he could only see a few dozen rabbits in their group. Said group started moving again as Bonnie explained "Fortunately, the burrow isn't far away, so some of the little ones wanted to come and greet you. Otherwise we would have had to send someone to get you with one of the trucks." Nick nodded his understanding, already feeling more at ease in the midst of the rabbits. As they walked down the dirt road back to the burrow, Stu caught up with Nick and tapped his shoulder.

"When we get back to the burrow, I want to have a talk in private okay?"

Nick nodded, a bit wary, but knowing that he needed to prove to Stu that he was a good match for Judy. As the small group plodded along, the Hopps warren soon came into sight. Like most rabbit burrows, it housed most of its population underground, the only place with enough space for the rabbit population. Even the parts that were built up above ground were actually built into the side of a hill, meaning that most of the visible structure was covered in grass.

"The part sticking out is where we have all the communal areas, like kitchen, dining room, and living rooms," Bonnie explained as they went along, "All the bedrooms are below the surface." The only portion of the massive structure not covered in earth was the front, which they came to now. A white fence porch ringed the front, with a large double-doored entrance and yellow walls. Large windows poured in sunlight to at least a part of the burrow. As they came through the double doors, Nick found himself in the largest kitchen he had ever been in. He supposed that he should have known, given the number of mouths to feed, that they would need an enormous kitchen to keep up. Numerous older Hopps family members were already bustling about preparing dinner, cutting up vegetables, mixing salads, and doing various other activities. As Nick looked around in awe, Bonnie briefly took him to the side. "Now Nick, we do have a couple of rules here. One, no swearing around the little ones, I don't need them picking up foul language too early."

"No problem Mrs. H., I can just take a leaf out of Carrot's book and say 'cheese and crackers'."

"Please, call me Bonnie, and yes that's where that comes from. Another thing, I don't care what you do in your own room, but don't anything somewhere the kits will find you. I know that you've probably heard we're good at multiplying, but that doesn't mean I want to have to explain to any of my kits what they caught you doing."

Nick was astounded by her frankness, and felt his jaw hanging open.

"It's okay Nick, with hundreds of kits, we have to be open. It's always easier to just try and mediate such activities, not try and avoid them completely. Don't forget, I was young once too. I know what it's like to be in love for the first time, how hard it can be to hold back."

In spite of his embarrassment, Nick found himself actually appreciating her directness. It always helped with communication.

"Thank you Bonnie, I will keep that in mind," he said, smiling. Meanwhile, Judy was catching up with some of her closest siblings. She was currently talking to Jamie, an albino doe, and William, a buck with light brown fur and the same shade of violet eyes as his sister. They were trading stories of the going-ons in the city and the burrow.

"Hmm, imagine that. Straight shooter number one cop Judy Hopps being corrupted by a sly fox," William said in a sarcastic tone.

"Hey, he is not 'corrupting' me, he's a cop now too you know."

"Easy, I'm just kidding, I'm cool with it."

"Yeah, but I'd watch out for Michael and Brenda," Jamie butt in, dropping to a hushed tone, "as soon as we found out about you guys, they swore that they would change your mind the next time you came home." This news caused Judy to bristle. _No one_ told her what she could or couldn't do, or who she could or couldn't be with.

Seeing her become more tense, William tried to calm her down, "Hey easy, we don't want a brawl on our hands. Just be aware, okay, try and avoid hurting them please." Judy sighed and nodded, knowing that she would have to come to blows with some of her family eventually. It was a statistical impossibility that everyone would accept Nick and her being with him. At that moment however, Nick and Bonnie walked over, having finished their conversation.

"Well, I was just saying to Nick that you should put away your things before dinner. Could you please show Nick to your old room bun-bun?" Judy reddened at the sound of the old nickname, but did as she was told, leading Nick down one of the winding tunnels that lead to the bedrooms.

"I got to say Carrots, I really like your mom. Although, I don't think your dad is taking to me too much."

"Don't worry about it, he's always been overprotective, all you've got to do is explain things to him and talk him down. How do you think I put up with him trying to stop me from being a police officer?"

Nick smiled at the thought of Judy, not letting anyone stand in the way of her dream, relentlessly determined.

"I don't think he could have stopped you for a second, you're the most driven mammal I know."

Judy blushed at the compliment but didn't protest, more than happy for praise instead of the usual teasing.

"Thanks sweetie." They walked on in silence after that, making their way through the many passageways that made up the subterranean burrow. As they went, they saw numerous kits playing around, drawing on the walls, chasing each other in games of tag, and just in general being kits. Many of them would pause in their activities to stare in awe at Nick, the fox a novelty to them. Eventually, they came to a stop outside a door with the ZPD logo on it, and a small sign reading "Judy". Judy opened the door and led Nick inside. One look inside and anyone could tell what her passion in life had been. Where others might have had posters of favorite bands or movies, Judy had decorated her room with ZPD recruitment posters. On the small desk and bookshelf, there were old police textbooks and various other ZPD related items. Nick even spied a picture of 9 year old Judy in a police costume, and the same tiny hat she had worn then was perched on one of the bedposts. Nick couldn't help but smile, looking around the room reminded him of how being a cop had been her dream for years, and she had actually achieved it. Not nearly enough mammals actually achieved their dream in life, and he was glad his Judy had. If she hadn't, he probably would have spent the rest of his days hustling pawpsicles on the streets. At the moment, he decided to show some of the love he was feeling by wrapping his arms around Judy and sweeping her into a big hug. She let of a quick laugh and remarked,

"What brought this on? You seem to be feeling very cuddly all of a sudden."

Nick closed his eyes and drank in her scent before he answered. "Just glad that I have you. I can't help but think of how much you following your dream helped me to achieve mine. I owe you everything." Although it was unexpected, his sudden sweetness and honesty greatly affected Judy, who decided to embrace the moment and return his affection in kind. Twisting around in his arms, she brought her muzzle up to his, and brought their lips together in a soft, sweet kiss. What was meant to be quick and chaste quickly deepened, Nick grasping the back of her head, running his fingers through her fur. Their mouths parted and tongues met, rolling over each other in a kind of dance. Nick's larger tongue overpowered Judy's much smaller one, forcing its way into her mouth, causing him to groan. As things got more heated, Judy knew they had to stop before they went to far. Reluctantly breaking off the kiss, she looked up at Nick, who had a slightly disappointed expression on his face.

"Don't look at me like that Nick. We have to go to dinner, and if we had kept going, we probably would have been in here all night." As she said this, she took his paw and started leading him back the way they cane. Nick, although still a bit irked at the sudden stop to their passionate interaction, quickly followed behind her, not wanting to get dragged along. They once again traveled through the winding, earthy tunnels, although they were now devoid of kits, everyone being at dinner. This time, however, they took a slightly different path to arrive at the dining room instead of the kitchen. Exiting the tunnel, they came into the largest room Nick had seen in the burrow yet. The dining room was a gigantic chamber, filled to the brim with bunnies talking, filling the massive area with an incredibly loud din. " _I wonder how they can stand all this noise with such good hearing,"_ Nick wondered aimlessly, taking in his surroundings. There were a series of long tables and benches set out, with each seating roughly 25 rabbits, so 50 or so per table. Nick also noticed that the bunnies there were largely on the young side, with not many older than 12 or 13. As he turned to question Judy about this, she had seemingly read his mind, for before he could even get a word out, she explained,

"We go in several sittings by age group, youngest first, so that way the whole burrow isn't in here at once. Most of the older ones have to do cooking and washing anyway."

"So am I being considered a kit since I'm with the youngest group?" Nick mused.

"No, you're the guest, which means you get to eat first. Sit yourself down, I'll go get your food, my mom cooked something special for you. We Hoppses know how to show hospitality." As they had been talking, they had made their way across the hall to a significantly smaller table, which Nick assumed was for guests and more important family members. He did as he was bidden, sitting in the slightly larger seat that Judy had pulled out for him. She then disappeared into the kitchen to get the food. In just a few minutes, a large number of adult bunnies came out with the prepared dishes, serving the little ones so that there were no huge lines of hungry kits waiting their turn to be served. Nick noticed Judy making her way over to their table, a couple of plates balanced in her paws. He could smell the delicious aroma of cooked salmon, one of his favorite dishes. Judy reached the table and set the steaming dish down in front of Nick, letting him see that there was also a side of his favorite blueberries. Grinning, he licked his chops before starting to dig in. Judy, once she had finished distributing the other dishes she had been carrying, sat down next to him and started her own meal. Looking over, she noticed that he had already plowed through half the dish, eating like he hadn't seen food in months. She chuckled to herself before returning to her salad. For a while, the sounds of talking were replaced by the sounds of chewing, the clink of glasses being set down, and the chink of cutlery being put to use. Once the meal started to slack off, however, conversations were restarted, once again filling the room with indistinguishable noise. As he lounged back in his seat, stomach full and perfectly content, Nick noticed Stu glancing over at him, and then looking away. This caused Nick to remember that the buck had asked to talk to him, and he resolved to do so after dinner. Meanwhile, Judy was chatting away with her family. She loved the city, but it was good to return to her roots once in a while. Plenty had happened while she was gone, and her siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins all regaled her with tales of the misadventures and going ons of the area. Currently, William was finishing up a story about how several of their younger siblings had made a paper mache volcano for a science project, which had promptly blown up and covered the living room in baking soda and red food dye. Laughing at the mental image that gave her, she told them about some of her and Nick's own adventures in the city.

Once all the food was gone, and the conversations began to die down, the younger bunnies began to head to bed, making room for the older sittings. The process repeated itself, with food being distributed and subsequently gobbled up by a seemingly never ending chain of hungry mouths. Having eaten in the first sitting, Nick had slipped away to one of the side halls, where he had found a seat and waited until all of the sittings were over so that he could talk to Stu. After about another half an hour had passed, the dining hall finally began to clear, leaving behind the bunnies on clean up duty, washing the dishes in the kitchen and sweeping the floors. Stu was among the cleanup crew, but had noticed Nick waiting for him, and finished up his duties quickly. Dusting off his paws, he walked over to where Nick was sitting. The todd sat up, seeing him approaching. When Stu came to a stop in front of Nick, the latter made a gesture inviting him to talk first. Stu looked Nick up and down for a second before beginning.

"I'm sure you're a good guy, you seem kind and patient, but there's more to a mammal than that. I need to know you'll stick by my daughter, you'll support her and help her." Nick gave a reassuring smile, he had expected something like this, and knew exactly how to answer.

"No need to worry, nothing on Earth could make me leave her. I'll be there for her no matter what."

Stu sighed, "There's more to it than that. There's more to the world than just you two. What about when you go out, and people insult you, try and make you feel like trash?"

"You don't think we didn't consider this before now?" Nick asked, a bit surprised. "That was one of the reasons we took so long to get together, and why we hid it for a while. Judy may be the hardest mammal on Earth to scare, and she's been rubbing off on me, but it wasn't exactly like we wanted people to taunt and deride us at every turn. But when we actually sat down and talked about it, we knew we would be willing to go through anything to make it work. Our love for each other is worth all the pain the world can give us."

Stu suddenly got a sad look in his eyes. "I'm not so sure about that. There are mammals who will do a lot more than just attack you verbally." He took a deep breath before continuing, "Did you know that you two actually aren't the first rabbit fox couple?" Nick was surprised, he hadn't known something for once.

"Yeah, about twenty years ago, there was actually an interspecies family here. They were a tod and doe, just like you guys, and they were just as in love as anybody else. Heck, they even had a kit together." Stu's expression told Nick that he was remembering something that he would rather forget.

"But you can guess about how well that went. They were hated, driven from their families in anger. Then, one night, an extremist group burned down their house, and murdered all three of them. Their love cost them their lives." Stu finished, his voice trembling. "I don't want to see the same thing happen to my daughter." Nick was a bit stunned. He knew that there were hate crimes, and that in the past there had been more than a few killings motivated by species, but he hadn't expected anything so recent. However, as he thought about it, his resolve strengthened, and his shocked expression morphed into a determined one.

"I can guarantee that won't happen," he told the emotional buck, who's eyes had gotten glassy. "If someone tries to hurt us, we'll stop them. We're cops, it's kind of our job. Even if I wasn't in a relationship with Judy, I would probably hunt those killers to the end of the Earth. I probably wouldn't be able to live with myself, or stand to be near Judy if I couldn't do that. No matter what, we'll be okay." Stu seemed a bit reassured by the todd's confidence and determination. Nick decided to end on a bit of humor to bring up his mood. "And besides, you're worried about me protecting her, when she'll probably be the one doing the protecting," he finished with a laugh, leaving behind a more emotionally stable buck as he made his way down the halls and back to Judy.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : So, there's Chapter 2. Please review, and also wondering if anyone can give me a suggestion for someone who could do cover art.


	3. Carrot Days and Getting Hazed

**Hello, and welcome to another chapter. Before we get started, I would like to do a quick** **shout out** **to Evakyl Nibelilt, who had been helping me with each of the chapter up until now. Also, I apologize in advance for any formatting and grammar errors.**

* * *

Nick woke up, warm and content. As a formerly nocturnal animal, he always wanted to sleep in, and continuously complained about the early wake up calls required by their line of work. However, deep in the burrow, the lack of sunlight or an alarm had allowed him to sleep peacefully. There was just something about waking up at your own time that made the todd happy. Looking down, he nuzzled his nose into Judy's ears, which were directly in front of his face. They were currently snuggled up on the bed in Judy's old room, in a spooning position. Judy was hugging Nick's tail, her back to his bare chest and his arms around her. Judy's cuddly nature had often led to sleeping positions like this, where she could cuddle his fluffy tail, or even using him as a pillow and sleeping on top of his chest instead of the mattress. Nick was fine with it, enjoying the intimate contact with her. Currently, he was content to simply lay in peace, perfectly at ease with his rabbit beside him and not a care in the world. Unfortunately, this couldn't last forever, as soon Judy started to stir beside him. She started out by subconsciously tightening her hold on his tale, bringing the fluffy appendage closer to her. However, she soon started to swim back to wakefulness, no doubt about to bring her usual energy and zeal back into play. Violet eyes slid open, revealing to Judy the russet fur her face was currently buried in. Unable to stop herself from smiling, she basked in the sensation of being held by her fox, completely enveloped in his comforting warmth. This only lasted about a second however, when she realized what day it was, and that the festivities were already starting. She bolted upright so fast that Nick flinched in surprise at the sudden change in pace.

"Sweet cheese and crackers Nick, we've got to get going!" she exclaimed, leaping out of bed and towards her dresser, where they had put away their clothes the night before. After opening a drawer, she took off the pink nightgown she had been wearing, revealing the black undergarments beneath. This inadvertently allowed Nick, who had now sat up, the chance to admire her uncovered form from behind. They weren't prudes, and were no strangers to each other's bodies and intimacy, but that didn't stop Nick from appreciating the view whenever he could. Especially now, as he knew that he wouldn't get to stay still for long. He loved the curves, the muscles, the way the white and gray fur blended together, and how her dainty little tail sat in contrast to the fined toned muscles of the rest of her body. As Judy stood back up, a folded dress in her paws, he got up off the bed and journeyed over to the dresser to pick out his own outfit. They dressed quickly, not wanting to miss out on any more of the day ahead. Judy was in a pretty purple sundress that brought out her eyes, a rarity considering her usual simple and practical attire. Nick wore a simple pair of khaki pants, button up red shirt and a blue tie.

* * *

Once they were finished, they went through the burrow out to the kitchen, where breakfast was already underway in all of its fluffy chaos. Sitting down at the main table, they poured some cereal and started to eat. As they crunched their corn flakes, Judy felt a light tap on her shoulder. Swallowing her mouthful, she turned around to get quite a surprise. For a second, she briefly thought that she was hallucinating, for the little doe in front of her was exactly how she had looked at the festival when she was nine. The kit was dressed in a little police officer costume, complete with hat and plastic badge. Beyond that, she also had the same exact coloring as Judy, gray fur, white underbelly, violet eyes. These traits allowed her to recognize Rebecca, a kit who looked up to her and looked like her so much many of their siblings called her a clone of Judy. Currently, Rebecca was wearing a wide, beaming smile of joy. She leaned in, grasping her older sister in a hug after she had been gone so long, nuzzling her face into her. Judy returned the affection, patting the sweet kit on the back.

"I missed you so much Judy!" Rebecca said, slightly muffled as her face was still smooshed into her sister's torso.

"I missed you too Rebecca." Judy said, a smile now touching her lips.

The next seat over, Nick was watching the exchange in amusement, finding the tiny kit adorable and sweet. His low chuckle drew Rebecca's attention, and her eyes widened and smile only grew.

"You're Nick! Judy's boyfriend! I like you!"

"Thanks," Nick said with a smile. Before he knew it, the bunny had detached herself from her sister and launched at him like a miniature fuzzy torpedo. A bit surprised at the impact, he nonetheless embraced the contact, putting his arms around the kit. She snuggled the fox a bit longer before pulling back to talk to the mammals in front of her.

"I'm so glad you guys are here! Momma and dada said you were coming, but I didn't get a chance to see you yesterday, so I thought I'd say hi now!"

"That's nice Rebecca," Judy said, immensely glad to see her little sister again. However, she was slightly confused by her appearance.

"Why're you dressed like a police officer?", she asked, eyebrow raised in question.

"It's for my entry into the talent show! Me and my friends are gonna do a play about how you followed your dreams to become an officer, and then saved the city!" she supplied, her smile growing even wider.

Nick and Judy exchanged a quick look of surprise before turning back to Rebecca.

"That's really nice sweetie," Judy said, feeling some pride in having inspired her younger sibling.

"Nick is in it too! I got one of the foxes from school to agree to help!"

"Then we'll have to stop by and see it Carrots, sounds like it'll be interesting," Nick said as he turned towards Judy, a somewhat wry smile on his face. She couldn't help but return this look, knowing that having anything based on him was probably stroking his ego.

"Sure, we'll definitely go look. But I want to head to the festival proper first."

"Yay!" Rebecca squealed and jumped up and down, delighted that her heroes would come to her play.

"We'll see you there sweetie, but now you've got to finish your breakfast okay?"

"Okay!" Rebecca said, leaning in for one last hug. Afterward, she headed back to her table across the hall. Judy and Nick also turned back to their cereal. The rest of breakfast passed quite quickly, as everyone was anxious to get to the festivities.

* * *

In no time at all, Judy and Nick were on their way to the festival. Fortunately, this was quite close to the Hopp's burrow, so they could just walk there. On their way, they could see bunnies streaming in from every direction, all wanting to take part in the annual celebration. Nick could see brown bunnies, black bunnies, gray bunnies, albino bunnies, calico bunnies, spotted bunnies, long haired bunnies, maned bunnies, and basically every possible bunny one could imagine. They all came to a large sign hanging over their heads that read: "Welcome to the annual Carrots Days Festival" in huge orange letters. Even from outside the gates, Nick, standing much taller than the crowd around him, could see produce booths, mazes, games, rides, and countless other attractions typical to such gatherings. Before they could explore them, however, they first had to go through the gate. A number of the local police were volunteering as security, checking people in and giving them the wristbands that certified you'd paid to get in. Nick and Judy eventually came to the head of the line, where the prairie dog guard did a double take at the sight of a fox and bunny together. Fortunately, he still took their money and fastened the green paper wristbands around their arms, despite the disbelieving and shocked expression on his face.

Heading into the fair, Judy asked Nick "So what do you want to do first? One of the rides? A game?"

Nick looked around, and saw a dart throwing game that would be a good chance to display his aim.

"Let's head there first."

They sauntered over to the booth, a standard sight at any carnival, equipped with a row of balloons and darts to pop them. Nick payed for ten darts, and took aim. His accuracy was a source of pride to him, in his academy days, he was the best shot in his class, and a key factor in his achieving valedictorian. This was evident when every shot was dead on, popping the balloons as if they were only a foot in front of him. Judy let out a cheer, and the stall owner let Nick have his pick of prizes. Looking them over, he was slightly disappointed that they were mostly just stuffed carrot dolls, but fortunately also saw a rabbit plush in the back. He got one of each, and proceeded to give the carrot to Judy.

"There ya go, a nice little gift for my carrots."

Judy smiled up a him and gave the plush a hug, and then responded by saying, "Well, if you got me something, I'll have to be sure to get you something in return. Come on."

She led him through the crowds of bunnies, being sure to keep ahold of his paw so he didn't get swept away.

"Where're we going?" Nick inquired, curious as to where his bunny was leading him.

"You'll see," she replied mischievously, her grin telling Nick that this would be a surprise he would enjoy.

She had a special treat in mind for Nick, something she had been wanting to share with him since they had first planned the trip. Checking a map of the fair, she made sure she was headed in the right direction. A short time later, Nick's superior nose caught a whiff of a wondrous aroma. He could smell something like heaven mixed with blueberries.

"What is that amazing smell?" he asked, now more eager than ever.

"That is what we are going to get," Judy replied, happy at Nick's excitement.

Just a moment after, they came to a large area dedicated to produce and local goods, with stalls selling the items ringing tables with benches and umbrellas for the fairgoers to eat their purchases. Judy led Nick over to one of the busiest booths, which had a sign saying "Gideon Grey's Good Baked Stuff" in big pink letters, with a picture of a smiling pie beneath. The name triggered a bell in Nick's mind, and he became hesitant.

"Wait, Judy, is this the guy you told me about? The one who clawed you when you were a kit?"

Judy sighed, she had had this conversation with him before.

"Yes, but I told you already, he's changed. He reformed, apologized, and was even a big help in the case. If he hadn't given me that clue about Nighthowlers, I might've never gone back to Zootopia."

This gave Nick pause, he might owe Gideon more than he would care to admit. He couldn't imagine life without Judy beside him anymore, and didn't like to consider what would have happened if Judy hadn't returned and reconciled with him.

"All right, we'll see," Nick said.

He would give Gideon a chance, but if things didn't go well, then so much for pie. Judy let out a huff, but let it go. Once he saw who Gideon was now, Nick would probably get along really well with him. They waited for a short while as the line shortened, until they could see Gideon themselves, the portly fox distributing the baked goods over the counter. When he was finished with those customers, he looked at the next pair in line, and perked up.

"H-hey Judy, it's real nice to see you again," he said in his stuttering country drawl.

"Hey Gid, it's nice to see you too," she brought Nick forward and introduced him. "This is Nick Wilde, my partner and boyfriend. He's a big fan of the Hopp's blueberries, so I promised I'd get him one of your famous pies."

Gideon leaned over the stall, offering his paw to shake, which Nick did.

"We'll it's sure nice to meet y'all. I'll get you my very best blueberry pie."

He then turned back into his booth, pulling out the source of the wonderful smell that had been teasing Nick for so long. Judy pulled some bills out to pay and set them on the counter.

"Thanks Gid," she said as she took the pie in her paws. As she turned away, Gideon added on one last statement.

"Also, I'm really happy for you guys, I think it's great how you guys stay together no matter what anyone else says. Stay strong," he said, waving them goodbye. They returned the gesture as they took the pie over to one of the shaded tables.

"Well I think that went well," Nick said as he sat down, eager to dig into the pie.

"I told you he was good," Judy said, knowing she had been right all along.

"Sly bunny."

"Dumb fox."

They smiled, enjoying the running joke, before Nick took a fork and knife and started carving up the pie. Taking a slice out and placing it on a paper plate, he speared the tip of the slice and brought it too his mouth. His nose hadn't lied. As the flavor exploded across his tongue, he instantly knew that it was one of the best things he had ever tasted. He quickly started cramming as much of the pie in his mouth as he could hold, desperate for more of the taste. Judy laughed and smiled at her fox, amused by how kitlike he was acting. She watched him devour the pastry for a bit before a voice called out behind her.

"Hey beautiful, fancy seeing you again."

She couldn't help but release a grown, knowing that voice and who it belonged too, and it didn't bring any pleasant memories. She turned around, and was greeted with the sight of a tan buck with green eyes, about the same age as her.

"Rob," she said, her tone civil, wanting to get this conversation over as quick as possible.

"Judy, I'd heard you were coming back from the city, thought it might be a good time to catch up, maybe rekindle some old flames."

She shook her head ever so slightly and glared at him. Rob had been one of a number of bucks in her past who she would love to forget. He had gone after her only for her looks, and was disgusted by her desire to be a police officer. He had tried to explain, in an unbelievably misogynistic way, that does were supposed to be housewives, and she had turned her back on him without another word. Now however, he was looking at her as though she had never turned him down in her life. As he opened his mouth to say something, he was cut off by a warning growl from Nick. The todd's eyes were narrowed, his ears were back, and tail was swishing, giving a clear message: stay away from the bunny.

Rob responded with a glare of his own however, and said "Why don't you back off _fox,_ I'm trying to have a conversation with the lady."

"She's my girlfriend," Nick said in a dangerous voice.

Rob simply acted confused, and said in a sarcastic tone, "I'm sorry I must have heard you wrong. I thought you said she was your girlfriend, when any self-respecting doe wouldn't have anything to do with a predator such as yourself. She wants a nice buck." he finished this speech by leaning in closer to Judy. She however, moved away from him and closer to Nick.

"Actually, you heard him right. He's my boyfriend, so just leave us alone," she said, her tone decidedly cold. Hearing this, Rob's face morphed into one of anger and disgust.

"Oh, I see, so you're not a big shot, respectable cop, you're a depraved slut who sleeps with foxes!" He stood up and continued his tirade. "What, bunnies weren't enough? You had to get it in with predators too? Why, I bet you've slept with the whole fucking city!"

Outraged and embarrassed, Judy was about to rip into him when someone else beat her to it.

"Hey, why don't you just shut the fuck up and leave them alone?" a paw fastened around Rob's arm and spun him around, bringing him face to face with his challenger.

It was another rabbit buck, this one with pitch black fur and dark blue eyes.

Angry at being challenged, Rob fired back "Why don't you mind your own business!"

"I would, but you're making it hard to. I want to just enjoy this festival in peace, and so do they. But, we can't do that if idiots like you are yelling at every turn."

Rob's face was red and he swelled in anger. As he tried to retort, the buck cut him off.

"Now, we're not the only ones who want peace. There's a security guard over there, ready to detain you for disturbing the peace and causing a scene. So, unless you want to spend the night in a cell, just go away."

Rob huffed and puffed, ready to yell some more, but the buck's words hit home, and he finally noticed his surroundings. Their shouting match had drawn quite a crowd, and there was indeed an antelope officer ready to intervene if things got ugly. Shaking his head, he stormed off into the crowd, muttering something unintelligible.

Surprised at someone helping them for once, Judy and Nick turned back to the strange rabbit.

"Thank you, Mr?" Judy started.

"Oh, um Andrew, Andrew Basilton." he said, offering his paw to shake. Both Nick and Judy did so, and then listened as he continued.

"It's really nice to meet you both actually," he said, seeming somewhat bashful. "You're actually something of heroes to me. I mean, rabbit and fox, working together debunking stereotypes, it was amazing. There was no way I was just going to sit by and let him say those things about you."

As he talked, Nick looked him up and down, and noticed something odd. His ears were unlike any rabbit's he had seen, instead of being rounded, they ending in sharp point, and Nick vaguely wondered if they had been cropped for some reason.

"Well, thank you Andrew, it's always nice to meet someone who's willing to stand up for what's right," Judy said, grateful for the buck's stand.

"No problem," he said, staring at his paws, slightly embarrassed around his heroes.

"Well, I should get going, it was really nice to meet you. Goodbye," he said as he started to move back into the main part of the fair.

"Bye to you too." Judy replied, quickly losing sight of him among all the other rabbits.

"Well, that was… interesting," Nick said, trying to return to normal after the unexpected interruption.

"Oh hush, I'm just glad that didn't escalate into a fist fight."

Nick hummed agreement, "I know, I was just about ready to pounce him when he called you a slut."

"Yeah, well, some mammals you just can't get along with," she sighed, leaning back as Nick returned to his pie.

A few minutes later, as Nick was polishing off the portion he was eating, he noticed some kits in costumes in the crowd.

He turned to Judy and said "Uh hey Carrots, I think the talent show is starting."

She looked up, saw what he was talked about, and then exclaimed "Oh geez, I think you're right! We've got to get moving if we're going to see Rebecca's skit!"

They packed up the remaining pie, threw out the paper plate and utensils, and started the walk towards the auditorium.

* * *

 **All right, another chapter done, hoped you liked it. Review plz.**


	4. Legacy

**Author's Note: Finally, it is here: a new chapter. I apologize for taking so long to get this out, but hopefully you will enjoy it. Some more fluff in this chapter, which is always good. As always, I apologize for any errors, and please review.**

* * *

Considering the size of the area's population, the auditorium where the talent show was held was quite small in Nick's opinion. It was really no bigger than the average school theater anywhere else. As a result, it was even more crowded than the fair outside as families and friends all came to watch the various acts. Nick and Judy were only just able to snag a seat before the space rapidly filled up behind them. Returning to the theater triggered many memories for Judy, remembering her own fateful performance all those years ago. That had been the day she had first announced her dream, and had first fought for it. She didn't back down from her parents or from the bullies. On the other paw, that was a double edged sword, as it led to her own prejudice against foxes, she thought with a sense of bittersweetness.

In the meantime, the preparations for the talent show went ahead. Backstage, bunny kits and various other species were all getting ready for their various acts. Some were memorizing songs, others were stretching to do gymnastics, and still others were getting into costumes for skits. One such group was composed of Rebecca, still in her police costume, and several of her friends. There was Jeremy, the red fox who had agreed to be Nick, and was currently dressed in the infamous "green pawaiin shirt", Patricia, a white-wooled ewe who would be Bellwether, Sam, an otter to be Mr. Otterton, and finally Justin, a jaguar cub who would be Mr. Manchas. After getting into their costumes and readying their props, they were reviewing their lines and cues. Rebecca would also be the first narrator, introducing the skit, and then they would take turns explaining the events as they happened.

Back in the audience, the lights were turned down, and the talking hushed as an adult rabbit came out onstage, a microphone in their paw and a single spotlight illuminating them.

"Hello, and welcome to the annual Carrot Days talent show. Remember, a good audience is a kind audience, so show these youngsters some support for the acts that they have put together. First up, we have Amy Tufts, and her poem "What is a carrot?".

And so things went for a while. Nick and Judy applauded each act appropriately, mostly being amused by the adorable antics of the kits before Rebecca's act came up. The kits were undeniably sweet as they sang songs and forgot some of the words, yet kept doing their best. Wobbly somersaults were vastly improved by the silly grins that the performers couldn't help as they tumbled around, pleased at what they could achieve. And soon, when Judy looked at the program paper, she saw her sister's skit next.

"Give them a big paw folks," the announcer said, leading the clapping as the current group finished their performance and headed backstage.

"And now, doing a skit titled 'The life of Judy Hopps', please welcome Rebecca Hopps." As the announcer stepped off the stage, Rebecca and her friends came out, several of them bringing cardboard cut-outs of buildings, which various props were hid behind.

Leading the way in her police costume, Rebecca felt a moment of nervousness as all the eyes in the audience trained on them. In bunny families, with hundreds of siblings, being the absolute center of attention was unheard of. However, as she scanned the crowd, she found Judy and Nick smiling and waving her on. Rebecca smiled, knowing this was for them, and began the skit.

"Before we begin, I would like to give a shout out to the doe who is the inspiration for our skit tonight, my big sister Judy. Come on Judy, stand up." she said, making a gesture to that effect.

As others began to recognize the presence of the celebrity among them, Judy knew she had no choice and quickly stood up and gave a shy sort of wave, not wanting to be the center of attention for too long. The audience gave a quick applause, although, as usual, there were the few who instead decided to heckle the interspecies couple instead. Once Judy sat back down, the focus returned to Rebecca onstage.

"Years ago, she knew that she had one goal in life, one dream: to become a police officer and make the world a better place. Everyone told her she couldn't, that bunnies could only be farmers." She smiled knowingly at the crowd.

"But she kept on chasing her goal, and let no one stop her."

On cue, Patricia came forward with the fake plastic badge in paw.

"Eventually, she succeeded and became the first ever bunny police officer." Patricia pinned the badge on Rebecca's uniform, representing the narration. Rebecca responded with a salute. Patricia then retreated behind the curtains until she would be needed again.

"However," Rebecca continued, "there were still challenges in her way. She was still stereotyped because of her species, and continually was assigned meter maid duty."

Out in the audience, Judy reminisced of the ridiculous outfit and "joke mobile" she had been given. Although she and Nick were occasionally given parking duty on a slow day, Bogo had long since realized their potential and tended to give them more serious assignments.

"Needing a way to prove herself, she made a tough deal with the chief. She had to find the missing mammal Emmitt Otterton in two days, or she would be forced to resign."

Jeremy walked out, put on his best lazy grin, and continued the narration.

"She figured out that the fox named Nick Wilde was the last mammal who had seen Otterton, and convinced him to help."

The real Nick noticed that they left the method of his forced cooperation a secret, given that Judy had never fully explained it to anyone. If she had explained about his tax evasion being blackmail material, he might have gone to jail regardless of the services rendered.

"The two of them formed an unlikely duo, a fox and a rabbit, working together to solve a case. This quickly proved more complicated than either of them had imagined, and they went all over the city on their search for the missing otter." The pair onstage made a show of looking around the cardboard buildings in an over exaggerated depiction of searching, causing the audience to laugh.

Straightening up, Jeremy addressed the audience again. "Eventually, they tracked down Mr. Manchas, a black jaguar who had been driving Mr. Otterton when he disappeared. On cue, Justin appeared.

"It was revealed that Mr. Otterton had gone savage and attacked Manchas before running away."

At those words, Sam, who had been hiding behind one of the props, leaped out at Justin and pretended to attack him. Justin held his eye and scrambled away, trying his best to look frightened. When he paused in his frantic flight, Sam gave one last snarl and ducked away behind the curtains.

"Manchas told them that Otterton had mentioned "Nighthowlers" providing an important clue. Before they could learn more however, he went savage as well and they were forced to flee."

Now it was Justin's turn to attack, getting down on all fours and pursuing Rebecca and Jeremy around the stage. The pair did their best to evade him, weaving around the set pieces, narrowly missing him at times, and just barely staying ahead. Eventually, however, Rebecca used her toy paw cuffs to chain him up and capture the jaguar.

"Although they escaped, the jaguar disappeared when they returned with reinforcements, making them unable to prove their story." Rebecca turned back to the crowd as Justin slunk away.

"Narrowly avoiding the wrath of the chief, the pair once again found themselves searching for clues. Eventually, Nick had the idea to check the traffic cameras, and they found that the savage had been captured by wolves and taken out of town."

Now a new cutout was put on stage, a crude reproduction of the cliffside asylum that the savage mammals had been located in.

"Sneaking in, they located not only Otterton and Manchas, but the other 13 mammals who had gone missing." It was now revealed that Sam and Justin were in cut-out cage fronts, still pretending to act savage.

"They also discovered that Mayor Lionheart had ordered the savages captured in order to keep the story from getting out and causing a panic, especially against predators such as himself." She paused and took out a prop phone.

"The pair managed to escape the security forces and called in reinforcements, capturing Lionheart and bringing his crimes to light. But they weren't done yet."

As she had been saying this, Sam and Justin had slunk off stage, brining the mock cells with them.

"Although the mammals were no longer missing, there was a whole new mystery to solve. They now had to figure out _why_ the mammals had gone savage, and try and put a stop to the violence. In desperation, Judy seized upon an explanation that she thought fit."

Out in the audience, the real Judy knew what was coming and turned away in shame, ears drooping and buried her face in Nick's shoulder. Knowing the guilt she still harbored over the press conference disaster, Nick began stroking her ears while whispering quietly.

"It's okay, it's in the past. You fixed your mistake, you came back, and things are good between us. And you know better than anyone that I'll never leave you again."

Although he couldn't see her face, he could feel her shy smile as she was comforted by his caring words.

Rebecca, on the other paw, was still right on track with her monologue.

"She guessed that since all of the mammals who had gone savage were predators, then there must be some defect in their biology that was causing them to revert to their 'primitive' ways." she said, making quotation gestures with her paws at the word primitive, as that was a direct quote from the press conference.

"However, since there was not yet any scientific proof to support this, it was really a move that demonstrated her prejudices against predators, as well as those of the public, who quickly accepted the explanation." Pausing, she took in a breath after the long speech.

"Nick left in anger, feeling betrayed by his new friend. He had trusted her, and now found that she too had bias against predators, including him."

Jeremy and Rebecca mimed an argument before the former stormed off in mock anger.

"In addition to the loss of her new friend, she had to deal with the consequences of what had been unleashed upon the city. Hatred, fear, and anger divided the city as the savage attacks continued and many blamed the predators. Riots and protests erupted in the streets, causing just as much chaos as the attacks themselves. Blaming herself for the situation, Judy increasingly found herself unable to adequately cope like she used to. Ultimately, guilt ridden at what she felt she had done, she resigned, giving up everything she had worked for, and returned home."

As Rebecca spoke, the city buildings were substituted for a small stall similar to the ones outside. "Hopps" was crudely drawn on the sign atop the stand.

"Feeling like a failure, it seemed like Judy Hopps' journey might have reached its end. But just when it seemed like it was over, there was a ray of hope and light. She found out what 'Nighthowlers' really were."

As she said this, she pulled out a cloth replication of the purple flower.

"They are actually a deadly toxic plant that causes mammals, both predator and prey, to go 'savage'. Armed with this knowledge, she knew it was time to return to Zootopia. It was time to make wrongs right."

Now, the fake stand was taken away and the cardboard cut out buildings made a reappearance. On the opposite side of the stage from Rebecca sat Jeremy, wearing sunglasses and a disinterested look on his muzzle that Nick couldn't help but chuckle at.

"Judy reconciled with Nick. She admitted to how her prejudice had gotten in the way, and how she had hurt him when she was supposed to have been his friend."

She and Jeremy mimed a conversation, and then embraced to show the positive resolution. Nick noticed some in the audience tensed at the sight of the fox and bunny hugging.

Pulling away from the embrace, Rebecca resumed narrating. Now that they knew what Nighthowlers were, the could track them. Using Nick's underworld experience, they located the place where the plants were going to. It was a secret lab, turning the plants into pellets to shoot predators with and cause the attacks."

Using an old plastic toy car, the type that one would sit in and move with their feet, the children had built a moving replica of Doug's lab. Cardboard had been used to give it the extra bulk and exterior design of a subway car, covered in colorful graffiti.

"They were able to capture the lab and escape with the evidence." At this Jeremy climbed into the vehicle and propelled it around the stage.

"However, during their escape, the lab was destroyed along with most of the evidence." Jeremy stopped the car and took out hidden props. A small box of snap-n-pops in his paw, he threw them down to substitute as an explosion effect. Rebecca, meanwhile, took the confetti popper with red and orange ribbons and shot it off from behind the car to simulate flames.

"They escaped with only the serum and the dart gun." A toy gun with purple foam darts was used. Unseen by the audience, Patricia was on the side of the stage, ready to make her entrance.

"As they ran, attempting to reach the ZPD, they were met by Mayor Bellwether."

At this, Patricia came out onstage.

"At first thinking that she was there to help, they soon realized that the ewe was in fact the mastermind behind the attacks. While on the run from this new enemy, Judy was injured, and Nick refused to leave her behind."

The real Judy smiled, remembering the faith and loyalty Nick had shown then, and nuzzled under his chin in a show of affection.

"Unable to run, they devised a different plan. Cornered by Bellwether and her thugs, they lost the serum and gun." Patricia pretended to steal the prop dart gun away from Jeremy, and he and Rebecca did over-acted pratfalls into a heap, gaining another chuckle from the audience. However, Rebecca quickly stood back up to continue the narration. "Bellwether shot Nick with the gun, hoping to turn him savage and kill Judy, preventing the truth from getting out. Jeremy proceeded to do an impression of "savage Nick" chasing Rebecca all around the stage, but in a manner that was still more fun than scary. Jeremy was having a blast using an over exaggerated savage face and Rebecca was screaming at a high pitch, both in mock terror and the delight at the silliness they felt. The charade ended when Rebecca was cornered by the "savage". Now it was Patricia's turn to take over the narration as the fox and bunny continued their acts.

"Just as all hope seemed lost, they revealed their trick to Bellwether. They had replaced the serum with blueberries, and Nick had only pretended to go savage. Additionally, Judy had recorded Bellwether's confession, and because the latter had faked a call to the police, reinforcements quickly arrived to apprehend the criminals."

Rebecca and Jeremy now stood up, and the former began her final speech to the audience.

"The threat to Zootopia was over. By working together and persisting through the difficulties and challenges, Judy and Nick were able to stop the savage attacks. Not only did they help the city, but they proved something even more important. Anyone, regardless of species, could work together. Despite being a fox and a rabbit, they had become an excellent team capable of making the world a better place."

Jeremy now took over the conclusion. "Not only that, but they were also able to create a bond beyond even friendship. Finding love for each other they continue to show how species shouldn't divide us."

Nick and Judy noticed a few glares headed their way at that.

"We should celebrate our differences and live together in peace, rather than try to divide ourselves and give in to prejudice."

Rebecca finished off by saying "Thank you for your time, and good day."

Now, all of the children came onstage and did a group bow as the audience clapped. Nick and Judy applauded particularly hard, warm smiles on both of their muzzles.

"Not a bad story, eh Carrots?" Nick smirked.


	5. You look Purrfect Tonight

Most of the day was passed at the festival. However, towards the evening the pair briefly returned to the burrow. This was to both rest their paws and prepare for the rest of the day. One of the traditions of the festival was a massive outdoor dance which almost everyone attended. There would be bands, food, friends and fun. Judy, with her fun loving and social nature, was of course going, but was having a bit of trouble convincing Nick.

"It's a tradition slick, we have to go. Everyone will be there."

Nick sighed, "Exactly, everyone will be there, but a lot of them don't want me there. And besides," he struck a slight smirk, "I don't dance."

Judy couldn't help but give a playful smirk. "Well, fortunately, I do, and I'll teach you. It'll be fun, you'll see."

Nick stared for a brief moment before acquiescing, "You're lucky I love you Carrots."

Judy giggled and smiled, "I know, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

Now both on board, they moved on to start changing into more formal clothes for the event. While both parties would have been fine changing in the same room, and probably would have enjoyed it, having seen each other bare many times before, they knew that Stu would probably be more comfortable if they didn't. The buck had been consistently watching the pair since their return, and they knew he would probably end up having a heart attack if he thought that they were getting into anything naughty. Instead, they headed off to the pair of communal bathrooms used by the residents of the burrow. Of course, like everything else in the burrow, these were on an industrial scale to support the needs of the hundreds of residents. There were a pair of near identical rooms, one for males and one for females, the large chambers divided up by different purpose areas. There were a row of toilets along a wall, sinks in front, and showers in the back. Nick and Judy split off into their respective bathrooms with their formal clothes in paw.

As he wandered into a stall to change, Nick noticed that there were relatively few other rabbits there, most still being at the festivities. He was grateful for the absence though, as he doubted many would have been comfortable with a fox sharing their facilities. He began to get into his more formal clothing, an emerald button-up shirt that Judy said would bring out his eyes, and a pair of dark gray pants. It wasn't too fancy, as Nick often despised suits, but still managed to make him look nice. After getting dressed, he stopped to check himself in the mirror. While not often too concerned with appearances, as evidenced by his usual casual attire, he was still reasonably pleased with his formal facade. He briefly smirked at his reflection before exiting the bathroom to wait for Judy. He leaned against the wall partitioning the bathrooms, daydreaming, until he heard her approaching. He turned to face her, and his voice died in his throat at the sight of her.

"I look ridiculous don't I," she said meekly, a blush permeating her face and ears, nervously rubbing her arm. Judy was a beautiful rabbit. She often looked as though she was born to wear a police uniform, but that was hardly a comparison to when she actually dressed up in her best. Even the sundress from earlier couldn't hold a candle to the perfect balance of natural and mammal made beauty that was now presented before Nick. The grey doe was clad in a stunning violet dress that perfectly matched her eyes. Complimenting the purple background were the ghostly green outlines of tulips, arranged in patterns across the dress. The fabric hugged her in a way that showed off her slim yet strong form, and almost made Nick salivate. Adorning her neck was a silver necklace with a small heart hanging from the center, almost like the bow on top of a present.

As Nick stuttered at her beauty, unable to form words, she grew ever more uncomfortable and tried to hide her face with her long ears. Seeing this spurred Nick into action. He quickly rushed forward, wrapping his strong arms around her.

"Don't ever say that," he chastised. "You are the most beautiful mammal in the world." This only caused her blush to spread further, her cheeks growing hot from embarrassment at the compliment. Pulling back, Nick smiled fondly at the grey doe, who returned the affection with a shy smile of her own.

"You're not half bad yourself," she said in a half-joking manner, knowing that he knew full well that she thought similar things about him as he did about her. For his part, Nick was determined to be a perfect gentleman for once, offering his arm to Judy.

"Well then, shall we be off my dear?" he said in a mock accent, both funny and polite at the same time. Judy giggled but took up the offer, grasping his arm with one of her paws, allowing him to lead the way. They passed through the burrow without incident, and soon wound up out on the dirt road once again. Night had already fallen, and countless stars could be seen adorning the sky. The pair were once again reminded of the differences between Bunnyburrow and Zootopia, where the glittering lights of the skyscrapers replaced the stars at night. Judy recalled one of their first dates, when Nick had taken her to a hill just outside the city so that she could see how the bright colors light up the night, and how the city seemed like something out of a dream. While she had to admit it was surprisingly beautiful, she would always prefer the stars and nature's beauty. Speaking of which, they were currently passing by a small batch of flowers.

"Hey Carrots, stop for a sec," Nick said, letting go of her paw and walking over to the field. He searched around for a minute, ignoring the yellows, oranges and reds in favor of a single dark-purple flower at full bloom. He plucked it carefully and brought it back over to Judy, placing it delicately behind one of her ears, adding yet another piece of beauty to her. Although not normally a fan of paraphernalia, she found Nick's gesture sweet and romantic, remaining still as he positioned the stem. When he was finished, it added yet another thing for him to love about her, the metaphorical cherry on top.

They resumed walking, and it was not long before they could see the dance. As nearly all of the local population attended, it was set in a massive outdoor pavilion rather than in any building. Even from a distance, Nick and Judy could see the bright lights strung about and the countless bunnies milling around or dancing to the indistinguishable music. As they approached the event, the number of other rabbits increased steadily until they were completely engulfed in the massive crowd still waiting just outside. To pass the time, Nick looked around at the elaborate decorations that had been set up. Leafy vines were strung across lamps, pavilions, and other higher points. Flowers were set among them to give a splash of color, along with tiny lights to give the natural pieces some glow. The line slowly crawled into the event, the crowds inside just as bad as those outside. Nick was both grateful and annoyed by this. On the one paw, he was glad to have something that delayed the necessity to dance. On the other paw, the traffic jam gave ample time for Nick to observe and be observed, and he counted many glares being sent their way. However, he was a veteran at concealing his feelings, and slipped into his mask, lazy grin falling into place. However, he did step closer to Judy, and his tail curled protectively around her. Fortunately, no alterations occurred, and they eventually made their way into the main event.

The main dance floor was obscured from them by the packed masses of rabbits, so they skirted along the outside. Soon their attention was caught by a repeated cry of "Judy! Judy! Judy!" They turned to see Rebecca hopping towards them, clearly extremely excited. The young kit had shed her police costume, and was now clad in a pretty little green dress, complete with bow. Judy kneeled down and caught the kit in her arms, giving her little sister a big hug.

"Didja see my skit? Didja? Didja?" She asked excitedly, her voice slightly muffled from being pressed in her sister's midsection.

Judy couldn't help but grin in return an answer, "Yes, we did, it was very good. I thought you did a great job."

"Yeah baby carrots, it was very nice," agreed Nick.

"Baby carrots?" Judy asked, slightly amused by the silly nickname. Rebecca also seemed curious, and looked to Nick for an explanation.

"Well, Judy here is carrots, and since you look just like her, I figured 'baby carrots'," he explained. This caused Rebecca to giggle and give a bashful smile.

"I wanna be just like Judy!" The pair smiled in return, and Nick replied,

"That's a great dream, she's the best mammal I know. The world could use more like her." He turned to Judy, "Although there will only ever truly be one Judy Hopps." He leaned in for a quick kiss, which she quickly returned. Rebecca gave a small "Eww," before saying goodbye and running off to her friends. After watching her run off, Judy decided that it was time to drag Nick off to the dance floor.

"C'mon Slick, it's time to do what we came here for," She insisted, taking ahold of his arm and steering him towards the packed dance floor. He reluctantly allowed himself to be led there, knowing that it would be fruitless to try and resist. The 'floor' was preally just a large section of hard-packed dirt, nothing too fancy. However, it served its purpose well, as countless rabbits and several other species were all dancing around with glee. Some were in pairs, some alone, and some danced in large groups. A small stage was erected in the middle of the area, with a band playing on top of it. Nick could make out some pop song he didn't know the name of. Having positioned them where she wanted, Judy turned to face Nick, taking both his paws in hers. Staring into each other's eyes, they began to sway to the music. While they slowly rotated around the dance floor, Nick could tell that there were more than a few glares and derogatory comments being sent their way, even if he couldn't hear all of the latter. However, the moment was just too perfect for him to care. For her part, Judy _could_ hear many of the things that the crowd were saying.

"Look at them, disgusting."

"This world is going to shit."

"Those freaks, they should know better than to show their faces here."

"Back in my day, those deviants would be strung up. How times have changed."

She bristled, but knew that it was better to simply ignore the comments than let anything escalate. Seeking out a confrontation was bound to just make things worse. So instead, she simply turned her attention back to Nick, losing herself in his deep green eyes. The emerald colored pools were so expressive and beautiful, she felt that she could stare into them forever. Nick was likewise mesmerized by the eyes of his partner, the violet orbs seeing straight through him, and past any mask he could throw own. There was no way to hide, and Nick knew that he would never want to. He knew that his place would always be here, side by side with his bunny. He soon noticed that the song had changed, and the dancers all picked up their pace to match. Their movements became quicker and more frantic, as opposed to the previous slow and smooth grace from before. Paws stamped and clapped in time to the music, adding another layer of sound to the mix. Judy twirled, her dress fanning out around her to create a beautiful rippling effect. Nick held her paw as she spun, until she came back into his arms, leaning against him and looking up at him with love in her eyes and a smile on her face. Nick smiled back, dipping her slightly. They and the others around them continued the ritual for some time, until their paws started to ache and they began to get dizzy. To catch their breath, Nick and Judy wandered over to one of the many tables set about the area, sitting down briefly. They signaled a nearby waiter for some drinks. Nick had a blueberry wine, and Judy a carrot margarita. As they sipped their drinks, they took time to observe the crowd around them, spotting a few familiar faces here and there. William and Jamie were out on the dance floor, Rebecca was talking with her friends, and Gideon was restocking the dessert table with pies.

"So how have you been enjoying bunnyburrow so far Nick?" Judy asked, stirring the fox out of his idle thoughts.

"Well, so far, it's been a bit of a mixed bag. There's been a lot of good things, and also a fair few bad ones. Your mother is very kind, and so are many of your siblings. That drunk idiot wasn't particularly pleasant though." He leaned towards her, sly smirk on his face, "But I will always love being with you Judy. Honestly, after the shit hand life dealt me, I count every second with you as a blessing."

Judy felt her heart melt at the kind and honest words. She leaned forward and whispered,

"You know I feel the same way about you." Their lips quickly met, crashing together as they sunk into a deep kiss. Judy felt butterflies in her stomach as she tasted her fox, lips caressing gently. After a few more seconds, she pulled back and said, "Now come on, I want to do some more dancing." She took his paw and stood up, Nick reluctantly following. As they made their way back to the dance floor, he realized that the song playing was one he actually knew. The strains of Ed Sheepan's "Purrfect" floated over the crowd of dancing mammals. While the pair resumed dancing, Nick pondered how much the lyrics reflected their relationship.

"Well I found a woman, stronger than anyone I know.

She shares my dreams, I hope that one day I'll share her home.

I found a love, to carry more than just my secrets

To carry love, to carry children of our own

We are still kids, but we're so in love

Fighting against all odds

I know we'll be alright this time."

The rest of the song became background noise as Nick focused his attention on Judy. Over their time together, he had felt like never before. Judy had transformed his life in ways he had never expected. While he used to constantly cheat and scam others, he now sought to be more. He was no longer another problem in the world, but rather one working actively to solve problems. He could not have believed it even a few years ago, but the doe dancing beside him had completely turned him around. In a way, she was his whole world. Without her, he would be nothing. And as she twirled, allowing him a gaze into her deep violet eyes, a powerful reality sunk in. Here, with Judy, was the most perfect he had ever felt in his life. And now, in this moment, he knew that there would never be anyone else like her. She was it for him.

Needing to convey his feelings, he stopped their motion for a moment. As she looked up at him, he brought his muzzle down to hers and closed his eyes. Their lips met, gently caressing and exploring each other. Their paws sought to bring them closer still. Nick's paw wrapped around her back, drawing her in further. Judy let out a sigh and arched her back into his touch. Standing on her tiptoes, she reached up and put her arms around her fox's neck. And as they kissed passionately, just for a moment, the rest of the world fell away, there was no one else but them, and everything was perfect.

* * *

But not everyone was privy to that moment. Away from the crowded dance floor, there were already groups of inebriated rabbits stumbling around. One of these was the same tan buck, Rob, who had accosted Nick and Judy earlier. Having been repulsed by the interspecies couple, he and his friends had left the party early. Now they were drunkenly attempting to make get back to their respective burrows.

"Theesh idiotsh, they're a disgracesh. Fu-hic-ck dem," Rob slurred out. His friends, as drunk as he was, didn't respond beyond a few giggles. As they made their way behind the stalls and tents from earlier, he felt his foot catch on something and fell over in a heap. Too drunk to notice, his friends continued onward, oblivious to his plight. Hiccuping, Rob tried to sit up and follow them. He suddenly stilled when he heard a sound nearby.

"Whos, *hic* there?" he questioned, staring blankly into the night. Without warning, he was grabbed by the neck, and slammed up against a tree. An arm across his throat and a body pinning him to the tree, Rob struggled helplessly. But it was in vain, as a knife soon came up in the attackers paw, and came down on the helpless rabbit. The blade drove straight into Rob's forehead, killing him almost instantly. Blood seeped slightly around the handle, slowly dripping down the buck's face. As the life quickly drained from him, the killer released their grip, letting the corpse slide to the ground. A quick turn of the head to check that no one was nearby, and they bent down. Rob's corpse hefted over their shoulders, they trudged off into the darkness. The night soon swallowed them whole.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Wow, sorry that took so long to get out. Hopefully the next one will be done quicker. Hope you all enjoy this chapter, and hopefully you didn't forget that this isn't just a romance.

Disclaimer: All rights go to their respective owners, I do not own Zootopia.


End file.
